A Chance Encounter in the Mountains
by Sally Skull
Summary: One-shot. Mulan doesn't know who this fair-haired boy in the black coat is, but he reminds her of herself. Genfic, slight Demyx/Mulan.


The first time Mulan catches a glimpse of him--black coat, hood covering his face--she's got her sword out before she's running. She's not letting this one slip out of her hands.

He's in the mountains, somewhere, but black can't hide in the pure blinding snow falling all around. She finds him crouching behind a tall, jagged rock and lifts her sword, ready for the blow.

Then he turns around and _squeaks_.

This display of cowardice startles Mulan so much her blade freezes mid-swing.

"Oh please, not the face!" he cries, and he doesn't sound that much older than her.

"Who are you?" Mulan demands. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing! I'm just... nothing! Uh, I heard you've got great um, Chinese food and--"

"Be quiet!" she says, tiring of his blathering. "Expose yourself!"

"Well, that's a little forward; I mean, we just met and all..." he trails off as she menacingly slips the tip of her sword below his chin.

He pushes back the hood with a gloved hand, and it falls away to reveal an impish face with a mess of blond hair. The fear in his eyes reminds her of what she felt when faced with an army of Heartless, and she feels a pang of remorse. _He shouldn't be here._

"Who sent you?" she asks quietly, because that fear did not come here by itself. Unless he felt as if there was no other choice, or that perhaps it was a chance to prove himself, to battle against preconceptions of weakness, _to retain honor--_

Mulan grits her teeth; soldiers aren't allowed womanish feelings on the battlefield.

"It's kind of a long story," he says weakly. He begins to struggle to his feet. "I don't think you have the time..."

"Back on your knees!" she hollers, and he falls down in shock.

"Man, you really _are _forward, aren't you? Not exactly a Princess of the Heart, huh?" he speculates, looking her up and down in a manner that makes heat rise in her cheeks. "What with the sword and all."

Mulan doesn't know what he means by _of the Heart _but she's definitely not a princess; princesses don't crawl around in the mud with bugs in their hair and fight strange black shadows.

"You don't know me," she says softly.

"Come on, let me up," he whines. "I promise I won't do anything! My legs are starting to fall asleep!"

"Not until you talk!" Mulan snaps, and brandishes her sword threateningly.

He rolls his eyes and harrumphs. "_Fine! _My name's Demyx, I'm a Nobody, I like taking long swims and composing cheesy songs, if I could legally marry my sitar I _would_, and I'm just going to keep talking until you want to claw your ears off 'cuz Larxene told me I was really good at that--"

"Okay, you are really_ annoying_. Why haven't I killed you yet?" she mostly asks herself.

He grins. "Have you seen my face?"

Mulan hates to admit it, but well--yes. Not because Demyx is so mind-blowingly gorgeous (she'd kill herself if Yao thought that), but because something in him reminds her of herself. He was here despite his fear; he had the air of someone who wanted to look in the mirror and be happy with what they saw.

Her sword lowers a fraction of an inch. Yao would _so _laugh at her if he knew.

"You've lost your path," she says without really thinking. It's her heart that's speaking. "I can see--I know you don't want to do this. Tell me, doing all this... does it make you proud of your reflection?"

Demyx's lips curve into a small smile. For a second, Mulan foolishly believes she's broken some barrier between them. Then something like a liquidy claw grasps her wrist and twists her right arm, forcing her to drop the sword. She whirls around to come face-to-face with a watery being, its frame eerily like the boy in front of her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spies Demyx stepping through a black hole. His last words are faint before he's swallowed up by the darkness:

"Proud, huh? Maybe I'll get back to you on that feeling."

He doesn't.

/

Yes, I know, I'm crack. And you know what's worse? While writing this, I got an idea for ANOTHER Demyx/Mulan fic. (hits self) Dammit, get back to that AU!AkuRoku fic!


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